Ask the Author: Kevin Hong
Answered Questions (6)
Kevin Hong
I never quite have writer's block. I write when I have an urge to write. It's really that simple for me since this is a part-time gig.
Kevin Hong
I am working on promoting my new book, The Outlier Approach.
Kevin Hong
Write what you want as much as you want and as long as you want. Do it for fun. Enjoy it. Do it like no one will ever read your writing.
As you write, you will realize there will be a theme that comes naturally to you. Let the writing come to you opposed to forcing writing out of you!
To quote Michelangelou:
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. ..."
As you write, you will find a central theme that will help you guide you to something you are passionate about.
Get my drift?
I truly believe that is why as a first-time author, I was able to launch an Amazon bestselling book and currently began discussions with translating my book to Russian.
Once you get the mindset right, here are the tips to becoming a better writer:
Write a lot One of the things that helped me tremendously was writing a journal! I did it for over 17 years after moving back from Korea when I realized my English was very poor.
Show your work Start a blog, post on medium, or even pratice on Quora. The goal is for you to start sharing your work. If you are coy about your writing, you can use services such as surveymonkey.com which allows you to get feedback anonymously. Getting your work critiqued will be crucial for your success
Read a lot Reading good literature will help you improve your writing. Save expressions and sentences you enjoy and make it your own. Come with your own version and your own style.
Try Everything Once Living life and trying everything will give enrich your life and give you so colorful content you can share. Robert Greene’s career didn’t take off until his late 30s and he held odd jobs for years. He writes it was these experiences that let him become a great writer. Similarly, the fact that I worked in Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood helped me tremendously as a writer.
Make sure your grammar is tight A great book on grammar is Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. Readers are picky. More often than not, people will not finish your book or your writing. Readers will stop reading your book for the silliest reason. Having poor command of the language gives a reader another reason to stop reading your work.
Rinse and repeat over and over again and you will improve as a writer. Just doing these 5 things, helped my career tremendously. Thanks to these habits, I ended up getting my own column at Inc, Forbes, and contributed to CNBC and various other media outlets and publications all within 1 year.
As you write, you will realize there will be a theme that comes naturally to you. Let the writing come to you opposed to forcing writing out of you!
To quote Michelangelou:
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. ..."
As you write, you will find a central theme that will help you guide you to something you are passionate about.
Get my drift?
I truly believe that is why as a first-time author, I was able to launch an Amazon bestselling book and currently began discussions with translating my book to Russian.
Once you get the mindset right, here are the tips to becoming a better writer:
Write a lot One of the things that helped me tremendously was writing a journal! I did it for over 17 years after moving back from Korea when I realized my English was very poor.
Show your work Start a blog, post on medium, or even pratice on Quora. The goal is for you to start sharing your work. If you are coy about your writing, you can use services such as surveymonkey.com which allows you to get feedback anonymously. Getting your work critiqued will be crucial for your success
Read a lot Reading good literature will help you improve your writing. Save expressions and sentences you enjoy and make it your own. Come with your own version and your own style.
Try Everything Once Living life and trying everything will give enrich your life and give you so colorful content you can share. Robert Greene’s career didn’t take off until his late 30s and he held odd jobs for years. He writes it was these experiences that let him become a great writer. Similarly, the fact that I worked in Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood helped me tremendously as a writer.
Make sure your grammar is tight A great book on grammar is Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. Readers are picky. More often than not, people will not finish your book or your writing. Readers will stop reading your book for the silliest reason. Having poor command of the language gives a reader another reason to stop reading your work.
Rinse and repeat over and over again and you will improve as a writer. Just doing these 5 things, helped my career tremendously. Thanks to these habits, I ended up getting my own column at Inc, Forbes, and contributed to CNBC and various other media outlets and publications all within 1 year.
Kevin Hong
The ability to connect with people and make a difference in their lives.
Kevin Hong
Too often, success is painted in a similar fashion (get an ivy-league degree, learn to code, get that 6-figure salary) but more often than not, the road to success is not as straightforward. There are significant advantages to those who decide to take the atypical route to success and my goal was to paint the more “circuitous route” to success as a strength opposed to a weakness.
For example, by the age of 32, I had worked in finance, tech, entertainment, media/journalism as an entrepreneur and as an executive. Each move I was able to make an impact while learning some new moves. I did this with very little connections, having immigrant parents, and with broken English when I started off.
Time and time again, I was not only able to adapt but also flipped my weaknesses into strengths. I had to go through this route, not because I wanted to, but because it was the only ladder I saw to success for “me.” If I used some of the advice many of the books provided, I don’t think I would be where I am a today.
For example, by the age of 32, I had worked in finance, tech, entertainment, media/journalism as an entrepreneur and as an executive. Each move I was able to make an impact while learning some new moves. I did this with very little connections, having immigrant parents, and with broken English when I started off.
Time and time again, I was not only able to adapt but also flipped my weaknesses into strengths. I had to go through this route, not because I wanted to, but because it was the only ladder I saw to success for “me.” If I used some of the advice many of the books provided, I don’t think I would be where I am a today.
Kevin Hong
A glass of whiskey and a recording device. I do what I call a "digital vomit" of words.
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